McCallion
Quest

For the McCallion Girls...It's three in a Row!!

By: Rachel Preston

The tension was mounting, and the girls could feel the pressure. This was their chance to shine.  Everyone in the school knew the girls were doing really well in their league and we all had high expectations for them to win the championship game. It sounded like a lot for them to handle, but most of the players wanted to be the best they could be. During the season, they had played fantastically. They went undefeated... and that’s why they were expected to win. They made basketball look easy, as they had great confidence in themselves and showed us week in and week out what they could do.

It all started back in December with try-outs. The coaches, Mrs. Tolone and Mme. Lemire were looking for girls that wanted to work hard, were focused and that would be able to work as a team. Ms. Tolone had coached the McCallion Hurricanes since she arrived at the school 3 years ago. Prior to that she started Dolphin Senior Public school's basketball program. This year was Mme. Lemire’s first year teaching at Hazel and since she had enjoyed playing basketball in high school, she offered to help Mrs. Tolone. Mrs. Melwani- Singh rounded out the coaching staff.

Although there had been six junior girls returning from last year, this year was a whole new season, now that they were seniors. "There was a lot of talent", says Mme. Lemire, "but some girls just didn’t have the right attitude, which counts for so much".

Once the try-outs were over, and the team was formed, the team practiced hard, five days a week. They  worked hard to improve individual skills, set plays and most importantly; how to play as a team. Hazel has a history of having good quality basketball teams and this girl’s team was no different. They came 2nd in their first pre-season tournament. They didn’t know it then, but after losing that one game, they would never lose again.

To the spectators it looked like the girls were having fun, but although the girls might have had a really great year, it wasn’t all fun and games. The practices were especially gruelling and hard. To get the girls in shape, they would run countless suicides, which are "stop and go" runs that help with endurance. A lot of other teams were afraid to play them because they knew that Hazel was a fast team that played with high intensity. But the girls still had some problems too. Lack of concentration and focus were causing them a lot of trouble in getting their lay-ups in, but with practice, the coaches knew the lay-ups would come. They learned to focus and to concentrate, but some of them learned the hard way. "Before one of the games at a tournament", said Mrs. Tolone, "some of the girls who usually (start) were fooling around and not doing what they were supposed to be doing. So we sat them out at the beginning of the game because of it, and they learned their lesson!"

As the opposing team (Hillside) entered the gym, the tension and nerves grew and even though the girls were expected to win, they knew that Hillside would give them a run for their money. They started to do their usual warm ups before the game, and as the spectators entered the gym they cheered the girls on. The girls rose to the occasion and played their very best.

At the end of the game, the McCallion girls had won 26-20. All of the hard work had finally paid off, the girls came through, winning their championship game to make them South Peel Champions. In the end, they all clicked together. Everything worked well, the lay-ups were going in, and the coaches didn’t even have to tell the girls what play to use because they knew themselves. The chamionship marked the 3rd year in a row that the girls’ basketball team had won the South peel championship.

But this wasn’t the only thing to celebrate at HMC. The junior girls had won their tournament too, and so had the junior boys. And to make the school a true basketball powerhouse, the senior boys also won their league. This had been the first time in McCallion history that all four teams had won in the same year.

Next year, presents a new challenge. There will be a lot more pressure on the basketball teams to defend their championship title. If the returning girls can remember to work hard and to focus, in the end everything will pay off.

The senior and junior girls basketball team consisted of: Priya Dhir, Catherine Babcock, Christina MacLeish, Sarah Pallas, Tichina Martin, Nadia Dennie, Kim Rakovalis, Karli Paterson, Jordanna Lewis, Marche Lewis, Elyse Matthews, Angela Valencia, Caitie Crowley, Deepthi, Michelle Hunt, and Alicia Donaldson. The team would also like to thank Ms. Tolone, Mme. Lemire, and Mrs. Melwani-Singh for all of the hard work and early mornings they put in, to make the HMC girls be champions.